Seam for fabrics



5 sheets-sheet 1.

(no Model.)

W; F. BEARDSLHi1.

SEAM FOR FABRICS.

No. 530,218. Patented Dec. 4, 1894.

(No Model.) 5.Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. P. .BEARDSLEE.

, SEAM FOR FABRICS, No. 530,218. Patented Dec. 4,1894.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets Sheet 3] w. P. BEARDSLBE. SEAM FOR FABRICS.

No. 530,218. Patented Dec. 4,1894.

5 Lm mm n u BF m PB 8 (No Model.)

Patented Dec. 4, 1894.

III

m: NORRIS omens cu. wowumd, wAsnmo'l on m-c.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

w. I. BEARDS LE E! BEAM FOR FABRICS,

No. 530,218; Patented Dec. 4', 18.94;

UN TED STATES [P TENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. BEARDSLEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT POOR, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SEAM FOR FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,218, dated December 4, 1894. Application filed August 8,1893- Serial No. 482.644. (no-moan.)

city, county, and State of New York, have in-' yented certain new and useful Improvements n Seamsfor Fabrics, of which the following is a specification sufticient to enable others skilled in the art to which the invention re lates to make and use the same.

My invention relates to seams composed of three threads, two of which are carried by two eye-pointed needles situated side by side and moving together, and the third of which is carried by a looper situated below the cloth plate.

My improved seam is of the class known as a straight-ahead seam, that is, at each descent of the needles stitches counting one in the line of feed are formed, and the present seam is thus contra-distinguished from an over-stitch seam requiring two descents' of the needle to make one complete stitch in the line of the feed; and the threads of my new seam are concatenated both above and below the material. I am aware however, that double seams concatenated on both sides of the material are not new in the abstract. In my Patent No. 438,795, I set forth a seam formed of two parallel rows of stitching concatenated above and below the material, but

the seam thus formed is unsuitable for knitted goods, hat sweats and other articles of manufacture requiring a stitch that will not rip or unravel. Similar seams have also been formed from three threads, producing a purl on the edge of the material, which have however been unsuitable for overstitching hat leathers and binding other articles requiring a complete overstitch.

The object of my invention is the produc tion of a seam of exceptional strength that will not rip or unravel especially adapted for use on knitted goods, and similar material,

and that may also be efiectually employed in overstitching hat leathers, binding edges of material, 850. a

The invention consists esentially of a seam comprising two parallel rows of stitches and which, when applied to the edges of the material, has a bight of the thread connected to the material at one row of stitches lying across over the top of the material and projecting toward the edge thereof and into the line of the second parallel row of stitches which latter is at or near the edge of the material, inclosing the thread from this second row of stitches within said loop of the first thread, both of the said upper threads being passed through the material, or one thread through the material and one thread outside of the edge of the material, loops in both the said first and second upper threads projecting below the material, a bight of a lower third thread lying within both of said loops and then' around outside the inner one, only, thereof.

The manipulation of the two upper threads above the material issubstantially the same I as in my Letters Patent No. 438,795 hereinbefore referred to, the loops of the needle threads in the present case however being concatenated below the clothplate by means of a'lower third thread manipulated by any suitable thread carrying looping mechanism,-this lower looper taking the loops from the thread carrying needles, while by preference only the needle farthest from the edge of the material takes the loop from the said thread carrying looper on the downward stroke of the needles, by which method the double chain thus formed is laid under the line of stitches farthest from the edge.

' In my improved seam the concatenations above the material are around the outer or right hand upper thread (when sewing as shown in the drawings) and the concatenations below the material are such that the lower thread, while being looped through the loops of both upper threads, is looped around the inner or left hand one, only, of said upper threads, thus enabling the enchaiued loops below the material to be drawn back from the edge or edges thereof, the lower or third thread uniting and locking the two upper threads below the material on the line of stitches formed by the inner one of the two upper threads. In other words, the interlooped threads above the material are at one parallel row of stitches, while the interlooped threads below the material are at the other parallel row of stitches, when both needles pass through the material, as shown at the tops of Figs. 1 and 2.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate symbolically certain instrumentalities used in carrying out my invention although I do not wish to confine myself to the use of any particular form or construction of parts, since it is obvious that the means employed for manipulating the thread according to my improved method are of secondary importance, and may be varied without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention.

Figure 1,'is a top View of a portion of a strip of material, enlarged sufficiently to permit of adiagrammatic representation of the relative positions of the threads. Fig. 2, is a view of the under side of the same. Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are isomterical perspectives, representing arbitrarily the positions of the upper threads with relation to the needles and upper looper in eifecting the concatenation of the upper threads. Fig. 6, is a symbolical representation of theinstrumentalities essential in forming my improved stitch. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, are diagrams representing upon an enlarged scale, the successive features or steps in the formation of my improved stitch.

The two eye pointed needles g, g, are set a short distance apart and transverse to the line of feed, one (9) being slightly lower than the other. One needle g, carries the thread marked 3, and the other the thread marked 2. The upper looper 1), for carrying the thread 3 from the left hand needle 9, over into the path of its companion needle g, to effect the concatenation of the threads above the material may be formed and operated substantially as set forth in my Letters Patent No. 438,794, or any other mechanism for effecting the result may be employed, the manipulation of the threads and the form and appearance of the stitch above the material not being original in the present application but forming only a step in my improved method. The form of the lower looper R, for effecting the concatenation of the threads below the material is also of secondary importance provided it is adapted to manipulate thethreads below the cloth as herein described by me. For purposes of illustration I have indicated in the drawings a looper R, formed and operating substantially as set forth in Letters Patent No. 365,665. This lower looper R, carries the under or third thread at, and is formed with the point r, and relief or inclined surface 1, the latter for the purpose of causing the bight of the loop of the thread 2 to slip over to that of the loop of thread 3 under the tension created when the needles rise, as indicated in Figs. 9 and 10.

The cloth plate is represented in section at c, c, in approximate position with relation to the operative parts in Fig. 6, but without regard to relative position in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10, in which the cloth plate and lower looper R, are separated sufficient] y to permit the positions of the threads to be shown diagrammatically.

The lower looper R, common to sewing machines using a single needle, carries a contin uous under thread (4), making what is known as the Grover and Baker stitch. It has an intermittent reciprocating movement in a horizontal plane, having also a lateral motion with relation to the position of the needles. By this means it is enabled to take the loops from the thread-carrying needles g, g, on one side of the needles and then pass to the other side of the needles to form and present a loop of its own thread (4) in such position that upon the next descent of the needles one of the latter passes a loop of one of the upper threads through it, thereby locking the stitch as a Whole.

In Figs. 3, 4, and 5, several stitches are represented as already formed in the material (Z. Both needles g, g, are shown as elevated in Figs. 3 and 4., their threads 2, 3, extending from their eyes to the material (1, at the points where the needles receded from the material at the completion of the last stitch, the material having been fed the length of a stitch preparatory to the descent of the needles to make two more parallel stitches. In this position the upper looper 19, engages the thread 3 (as indicated in Fig. 3) and carries it across over the upper side of the material forming a loop or bight in the thread 3 which extends slightly beyond the vertical axis of the needle g, as indicated in Fig. i, so that upon the descent of the needles the said needle g, will carry its thread 2 through the loop formed by the looper b, in the thread 3, thereby securing the thread 3, above the material and producing the cross concatenation shown. The looper b, is retracted into its former position at or about the completion of the descent of the needles.

The descent of the needles carries both threads 2, 3, through the material, and as they start to rise again loops are formed in both threads 2, 3, as indicated in Fig. 7, which are entered by the point r, of the lower looper R, as shown in Fig. 8. The mark adjoining the point r, of the looper R, Figs. 8, 9, and 10, indicates that the looper is at rest after completing its stroke in the direction of the horizontal arrow. As the needles g, g, continue to ascend the tension upon the loops 3 and 2 causes them to seek the highest part of the incline or relief 0", formed on the under side of the looper, thereby bringing the lower part of the loop formed in the outer or edge thread 2, into proximity (Figs. 9 and 10) to the corresponding part of the loop formed in the inner thread 3 under the line of stitching made by the latter, and a little beyond the path of movement of the needle g, when the looper starts to recede. While the looper R, thus starts to recede during the elevation of the needles it also moves laterally to the front or opposite side of the path of the needles, so that as the needles again descend the needle will pass to the right of both the loops formed in threads illustrated in Fig. 11.

2 and 3 and will enter the loop formed in the looper thread tby its retractile movement, as

The continued retraction of the lower looper R, during the descent of the needles draws the lower thread around the needle g, which latter carries its thread 3 below the under thread sufficiently to admit of the formation of a loop which the point r, of the looper B, may enter when it again advances, this position of the parts bringing us again to the conditions shown in Fig. 7, at the commencement of the description, it being seen that Figs. 7 and 12 represent the same relative arrangement of parts, the needles having first completed their downward stroke, and the looper R its retractile movement in Fig. 12, while in Fig. 7, the looper is about to advance and the needles to rise.

In the foregoing description the needles are described as both passing through the material, the seam produced being that represented in Figs. 1 and 2, above the dotted line a, a.

Where the material is fed to the machine with the edge between the needles the same manipulation of the threads bythe operative parts occurs, but the result is somewhat different in appearance as will be seen by refference to the portions of Figs. 1 and 2, below the dotted line a, a. Under these conditions the left hand needle thread 3 is the only one that appears above the goods when stitched, the portion of the right hand needle thread 2, which forms the parallel edge stitch when both needles penetrate the material being drawn over by the tension to the under side of the material, carrying with it and spreading out a portion of the left hand needle thread 3, and leaving the strands 3 above close together and parallel to each other. The result of this simple change in the manner of feeding the material to the needles is the production in eifect, of a superior and safe overstitch for binding, stitching hat sweats, &c.

The seam formed by passing both needles through the material, consisting essentially of two parallel rows of stitches may be trimmed as indicated by the dotted lines 00, 00, Figs. 1 and 2, the trimming being done close to but not cutting the threads 2 and 3, and thereafter the two pieces of material may be opened out, leaving the loops of the threads2 and 3, extending from one to the other seam, the thread 2 crossing from one to the other line of stitching at one side of the opened out material while the thread 3, is extended across on the other side of the material, the said threads each concatenated in the line of stitching made by the other thread and each with the third thread 4, serving to bind and hold in place smoothly the material between the parallel lines of stitching and making a safe, non ripping flat seam.

By superposing the material and sewing with the right hand needle 9, over the edge substantially the same result can be attained when the material is opened out.

It is to be understood that the order of concatenations both above and below the material may be reversed Without changing the stitch,that is to say that the upper right hand thread may be concatenated around the left hand upper thread above the material instead of concatenatin'g the left hand upper thread around the right hand upper thread as shown in the drawings, while the concatenation below the material may be effected upon the line of the right hand upper thread instead of upon the line of the left hand upper thread as shown in the drawings,-the distinguishing feature ofthe stitch being in either case that the concatenations above the material are around one upper thread while theconcatenations below the material are upon the line of the other upper thread. Thus I do not limit myself to the stitch as shown as applied at or near the right hand edge or edges of the material to be sewed, since under certain conditions it is desirable to form the stitch at or near the left hand edge or edges of material to be sewed, and since this change may be effected by simply reversing the order of concatenation from right to left above the material and left to right below the material without altering the form or structure of the scam in any particular.

I do not seek to cover herein the special form of stitch set forth in my concurrent application, Serial No. 488,081, filed October 13,

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein described seam consisting of the material or fabrics to be overseamed or joined and a series of stitches composed of two upper threads, 2 and 3, and a lower thread 4, the upper thread 3 having loops which pass through the material and laterally extended loops through which loops of the other upper thread 2 pass, while beneath or on the opposite side of the material the loops of both of said upper threads are concatenated by the lower thread 4 which, is looped within the loops of both of the said threads 2 and'3 and then around outside of each loop of the upper thread 3 which passes through the material; whereby the enchained loops on the lower side of the material are located at one row of stitches and the interlooped threads above the material at the other or opposite row of stitches, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM F. BEARDSLEE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE WILLIAM MIA'IT, D. W. GARDNER. 

